Stan Kenton was renowned as one of the most ambitious, innovative, forward-thinking and musically challenging bandleaders of the swing and big band eras, to the extent that he kept his band going into the post-war era long after others had disbanded. He had his detractors, who accused him of pretentiousness, but that is the nature of jazz, and his approach made him commercially successful where others failed. This 62-track 3-CD collection brings together titles from some of his early albums for Capitol in the post war decade which characterised his innovative and experimental approach. It comprises most of the titles from his albums “Artistry In Rhythm” and “A Presentation of Progressive Jazz”, and all the titles from “Encores”, “Innovations in Modern Music”, “New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm” and “Stan Kenton In Hi-Fi”. It features June Christy on vocals and compositions and arrangements by Pete Rugolo and Gerry Mulligan, with orchestra members including leading jazz musicians of the day like Ray Wetzel, Kai Winding, Vido Musso, Shelly Manne, Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Laurindo Almeida, Bill Holman, Lee Konitz and many more. His music from these years always makes for fascinating and sometimes startling listening, and we trust the collection offers an entertaining insight into his highly distinctive approach to big band jazz.
